Villanova Reaction: Wildcats Continuing to Show Their Grit

Villanova Men’s Basketball picked up their fourth consecutive Big East road win of the 2025-26 season on Tuesday, Jan. 13, taking down the Providence Friars 88-82 in an offensive shootout. The Wildcats (14-3, 5-1 Big East) had another rough day defensively, allowing the Friars to sink 55 percent of their shots even without their leading scorer. However, Villanova head coach Kevin Willard seemed less upset about that performance than he has in recent weeks when asked about his young team’s progression in the postgame presser.

Bench performances from Devin Askew (20 points, seven rebounds) and Malachi Palmer (10 points) proved pivotal as Villanova stayed one step ahead of the Friars’ talented offense.

The Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament odds now sit north of 98 percent after three seasons spending March on the sideline, and praise continues to pour in for their performance in a year they entered with little to no expectations. Here’s the reaction from fans and media after the high-scoring win.

.@AcadenLewis breaks the press and finds @Dukebrennan86 for the jam! pic.twitter.com/nAUNECj6kH

— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) January 14, 2026

Once again, it wasn’t pretty, but another important road win in the books.

The biggest takeaway from this game is Malachi Palmer. 10 points and a good defensive performance. Question to consider, does Willard move Askew to starting 5 and bring Lindsay off the bench?

— Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) January 14, 2026

Typical L.

Villanova missed the tournament 3 successive seasons.

Despite talent they repeatedly lost winnable games for 3 years.

They fired a young, overmatched coach, and hired a solid B head guy. The next season Villanova is 14-3 (5-1).

Lesson in there somewhere..#Schertz

— Divine Friars (@DivineFriars) January 14, 2026

Kevin Willard also mentioned Villanova's ball-screen defense as an area for improvement. Has been an issue for much of the season. He said it's been good at times and at other times: "I'm trying to be a little too fancy." Wildcats' D will get tested on Saturday vs. St. John's.

— Aaron Bracy (@Aaron_Bracy) January 14, 2026

Villanova is up to 14-3 overall and 5-1 in the Big East. I’ve seen enough. The tournament drought will end at three seasons. Also, abolish all portal and preseason rankings. https://t.co/fHRhzWeIBU

— Jeff Neiburg (@Jeff_Neiburg) January 14, 2026

Devin Askew has been AWESOME for Villanova recently.

He’s been a spark-plug off the bench and a leader in the locker room. Awesome to see. pic.twitter.com/Vzm98WRBDR

— Tommy Godin (@tommygodinjr) January 13, 2026

Lindsay pump faking from the logo just to take a step backwards and drain a 3 is hilarious pic.twitter.com/W5tV6Vl12R

— Sidelines Villanova (@SSN_Nova) January 14, 2026

BIG three ball from @Tylerperkins_5! pic.twitter.com/D2GyjB4UwS

— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) January 14, 2026

Kevin Willard has Villanova at 14–3 and 5–1 in the Big East 👀

Is @NovaMBB basketball BACK? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/5wewUAvauk

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 14, 2026

Kevin Willard has done a terrific job in Year 1 at Villanova.

The Wildcats just beat Providence on road to improve to 14-3 overall, 5-1 in Big East.

'Nova has league road wins against Seton Hall, Butler, Marquette, Providence.

Looking to get back to NCAA tourney for 1st time…

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 14, 2026

Villanova has:

– an elite PG
– shooters (some of the best in conference)
– great rebounding big

And most importantly: a competent head coach.

Their metrics are great, they have 3 Q1 wins, and are 4-2 in Q1+Q2

Villanova is for real, folks.

— Big East Bar Room 🎙 (@BigEastBarroom) January 14, 2026

According to Bart Torvik, Villanova (@NovaMBB) has a 98.5% chance of making the NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/44fJB2P1Ja

— David Szczepanski (@WXVUDavidS) January 14, 2026

The performance form Malachi Palmer and Devin Askew the last few games has really brought a new dimension to the team.

Previously Villanova was at the bottom of the Big East in bench points.

Askew could be starting and Palmer could be that 7th man to solidify the squad. pic.twitter.com/pHDluhzLxp

— Villanova Enthusiast 😺 (@NovaKnowsBall) January 14, 2026

Kevin Willard on FS1 pregame show on what Jay Wright said to him in advance of taking the Villanova job.

"You are the right guy at the right moment. We need you."

— Aaron Bracy (@Aaron_Bracy) January 13, 2026